Introduction post

I am starting this blog not only as a means to share my experiences and thoughts while running, but also as a way to document the journey and learn from mistakes made along the way. It also is a way to help hold me accountable during the darkest of times. As some of you may know, every little bit helps!

With this being my introductory post, it is only fitting to introduce myself. My name is Kurt Schilling. For the first time in my life, I truly consider myself a runner. Growing up I always played sports. Soccer and swimming were the main ones. My parents seemed to always do a good job of keeping us active. That faded into high school as other interests took over. It wasn't until almost 15 years later in 2012 that I decided to try to get into some kind of shape by running. Back then my idea of a healthy meal was anything that wasn't fast food. A lot has changed since then. In April of 2012, I ran my first 10k in Winter Park, FL. Looking back, it feels like I walked half of it. With a time of 1:03:56, you could pose an argument that I did. I couldn't get over how everyone else around me didn't look the way I felt. Completely broken down and exhausted. I took the summer off due to lack of motivation in the Florida heat and a wedding to help finish planning, but the seed had been planted. That summer was the only time I've ever seen 200 on the scale.

Deep sea fishing with my brother summer of 2012.

In September of 2012, a few friends and I decided on planning and training for the OUC half marathon in December. This was the first time in my life that I had a planned out schedule from start to finish and just followed it to see what happened. I was amazed. Finished the half while running the whole way, which was the main goal. Final time was 1:56:10. Comparing that to my 10k, I was amazed at the difference. I had ran twice as far and averaged a minute and a half faster per mile(from 10:17 to 8:52). I didn't know if what I was doing was correct, but I was really enjoying the improvement.

(Crystal, Victor, Josh, and I at the OUC Half Marathon 2012 in Orlando)

Coming off the high of the half marathon, we quickly scheduled a full marathon four months later. We planned on the Go! St. Louis Marathon. After following a schedule for the half, it only made sense to do the same for the full. Training for it went well. I was trying to follow a low carb, low fat diet, but really didn't know why. I saw a lot of improvement come marathon time. I finished 11 minutes shy of my 3:45 goal, but I was completely and totally hooked. I found myself asking the questions "How fast can I go? How far can I go? Why didn't I find this sooner?".

Go! St. Louis Marathon 2013  from Left to Right: Myself, Crystal, Victor, and Josh 

Leading up to the marathon we had decided to try a half iron man distance triathlon over the summer of 2013. With Orlando summers getting close to unbearable for running, it made sense to spend a good amount of time in the water and on a bike for a few months. We picked a race near the Florida/Georgia state on the east coast. The race date was set for October so it gave us the whole summer to prepare for it. Going into the race I felt good, but until you work out for 6 hours+, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into. It was an amazing experience and we made it through alive.

Atlantic Coast Triathlon 2013, Amelia Island, FL from Left to Right: Myself, Crystal, and Victor

Since the triathlon, I have been focusing only on running and eating well. In my next post I will go into detail on the training plan I have been following for this 50 miler as well as the dietary plan I have been following.